JD Power recently unveiled the results of one of its trademark studies about customer satisfaction, focused on the automotive industry. As usual, BMW and Porsche were ranked at the top of the listing, with Genesis being the surprise third-place occupant. The premium Korean brand has been on a roll lately, ever since Hyundai-Kia decided to give it its own identity. The results are showing and this ranking proves they are on to something.
Porsche was, once again, ranked first in the JD Power Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout study. The Stuttgart-based manufacturer had a score of 891 points out of 1,000, not far ahead of second place BMW and Genesis which both had the same score at 868. The top 5 is completed by Audi with 867 points and Volvo with 863 points. The scorecard is kept taking into consideration 10 categories according to JD Power.
What’s interesting is that all categories have recorded an improvement in terms of appeal compared to 2018. The biggest improvements were recorded in the infotainment category, visibility and safety. The study also showed that the satisfaction gap between cars and SUVs is diminishing. And while cars have been getting better grades on a variety of categories such as fuel economy or handling, the gap is getting smaller these days. That’s because the high-riding vehicles can counter with more practicality, better visibility and in other areas.
“Owners have higher satisfaction if their vehicle is equipped with safety features such as blind spot monitor, collision avoidance and lane departure warning. This should serve as a positive sign for manufacturers, as these features are some of the early building blocks for fully automated vehicles.” said Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power. The study was performed on 68,000 owners of 2019 model year cars, surveyed after 90 days of ownership between February and May 2019.
